English+Learners

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Teaching students whose first language is not English can be challenging, but with the right tools in your toolbox you can be successful! The following links and resources should help. As always, contact our ESL coach Wendy Soles if you need additional assistance.Her email address is wsoles@jefcoed.com.

Important Links
Jeffco ESL Department Download the latest version of the Help! handbook below:

ESL Acronyms
Confused between EL, ELL, ESL, ESOL, TESOL, WIDA and TOEFL? Check out this handy list of ESL Acronyms

Forms/Translation
Need pre-prepared common forms translated? Your Jeffco Email address entitles you to register for and use Transact. Click on the link: TransAct

Some Jeffco forms are available in Spanish here: Jeffco Forms Translated

Request custom translated forms here: Translator Request Form This opens a pdf file. You must allow at least a week for translation services.

Culture/Language Resources
One of the best things a teacher of a new English learner can do is gather information about the student's language and culture. This can inform your teaching practice and help prevent cultural misunderstandings. It also allows you the chance to see what aspects of your class and teaching style might be particularly problematic for your new English learner. For example, if your student comes from a culture that stresses cooperative learning and collaborative work in school, your student may struggle in the individual practice part of your lesson. You may need to assign a peer helper until your student adjusts to the new classroom culture. The links below will give you information on culture and languages around the world.

CIA World Factbook Countires and their Cultures Omniglot - A guide to writing systems and languages of the world. Contains a large collection of useful phrases in many languages, multilingual texts, and a multilingual book store.

WIDA Resources
Alabama is a member of the WIDA consortium which provides resources and testing for our English learners. The WIDA website has a large number of resources for teachers. Below are links to specific resources that you can use for your lesson planning to ensure you are making your content comprehensible and accommodating the English proficiency of your students.If you are unsure how to implement WIDA standards or how to use the Can-Do descriptors, contact Wendy Soles. WIDA Can-Do Descriptors WIDA Standards

Methods
Teaching methods for English learners should emphasize effective instruction, building background, and using accommodations as support. Knowing the level of English proficiency of your student is the first step - see your building ESL coach for this information. You should be mindful of the WIDA Can-Do descriptors for your student's proficiency level. See the WIDA resources above. Your task is to make your content comprehensible - using appropriate accommodations. One model of instruction that is used is called the SIOP model (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol). Lessons created around the SIOP model emphasize building background, modeling, practice/application, and clearly identified language and content objectives. This model closely aligns with the effective instruction strategies. Learn more about SIOP at the links below. Browse the lesson plans to see how the model works in practice.

The SIOP Model SIOP Lesson Plans

Strategies
English learners benefit greatly from your use of literacy strategies, and our literacy website has a wealth of them available for you. In addition, the strategies elsewhere on this wiki and the components of effective instruction will help your English learners. Below are some additional strategies that can be of particular help with English learners. Consult your Help! handbook for a more comprehensive list.


 * Use visuals, manipulatives, and real objects so students can relate to concepts
 * Use native-language support whenever possible
 * Pre-teach essential vocabulary
 * Provide assists when extensive note-taking is required
 * Chunk text into smaller segments and provide graphic organizers to aid comprehension
 * Shorten lengthy written assignments, or provide an alternative assessment
 * Allow increased wait-time for answers to questions - remember students must process the language first, then think about the answer
 * Give students ample opportunity to speak, listen, read, and write in every class
 * Teach academic vocabulary - for more help see this article on academic vocabulary

If you have any questions about appropriate strategies to use with your English learners, contact Wendy Soles.

RTI and Differentiated Instruction
If an English learner is struggling in your class contact the building ESL coach immediately! Wendy Soles needs to know early, not at the end of the semester. Her email is at the top of this page. The articles and links at the resource below can help you as you work with your English learner students, but they do not take the place of getting the ESL team involved as soon as possible. Your Help! handbook contains more information on RTI for English learners. Differentiated instruction and RTI for ELLs

Still need help?
Email Wendy Soles, ESL Coach, wsoles@jefcoed.com or Adrian Ward at SVHS arward@jefcoed.com.